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LETTER: Wild dogs are destroying life

By CLAIRE VOEGELEAiken

Jan 30 2013 7:42 am

Yesterday marks the eighth time, at least, that sick, vicious dogs unfit for domestication have run wild in our neighborhood, through various yards, and onto our property to kill innocent, peaceful creatures.

Three years ago, we received a warning phone call that a neighbor’s cat was found dead in her garage. Not 20 minutes later, we heard terrifying animal noises in our yard but did not arrive in time to save my childhood tabby cat Tiger, who was cornered, taken by the neck and shaken violently to death by this band of dogs.

He’s buried in our yard next to his sister Goldie, who was murdered in the same manner a year later.

Soon after, a third cat Clarabelle was slaughtered, her remains all over our garage.

During the last few years, we have had to reintroduce generations of ducklings after these dogs have brutalized and wiped out entire populations of the mallards who call our pond home.

One of the massacres was particularly devastating because the ducks were raised from eggs with their parents close by. It was the only clutch to survive raccoons, cats, opossums and other nest robbers.

Most recently, we raised a brood of hens from chick-hood who graced our barn with the most beautifully colored feathers and eggs. I use “who” because each had a name. I am overcome with anger because these violent dogs wreaked havoc again recently, unbeknownst to their owners, killing seven of our nine young hens.

The personal irresponsibility, disregard and blatant disrespect for our community this dog owner has shown are despicable. Fines, censures, and court sentences have not prevented these dogs from lawlessly destroying the peace in our neighborhood. We’ve been angry, but it’s time to get even. The punishment must fit the crime.

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